Private military companies (PMCs) are increasingly a part of the security landscape. Events in Iraq and Afghanistan have played a significant role in moving the debate over PMCs forward since the Arms to Africa affair in the 1990s. The old notion of lone mercenaries freelancing in the world’s wars has been replaced by one of corporate entities supplying a range of military and security services across the globe.
This conference examined how and why PMCs are playing such an important role in the world’s conflicts and will explore the ethical and legal as well as the pragmatic issues surrounding their employment.
Panel: Tbe Status and Accountability of Private Sector Operatives in a Theatre of Conflict;
Chair: Paul Cornish, Director, Centre for Defence Studies King's College, London
Claude Voillat, Deputy Head Private Sector Relations, Directorate General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Emanuela-Chiara Gillard, Legal Adviser to the ICRC
Simon Peter Brooks, ICRC Delegate responsible for relations with the Armed Forces of Western Europe
Panel: What are the Issues? Chair: Patrick Mercer MP, Shadow Minister for Homeland Security
Dr Uwe Steinhoff, The Oxford Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War, University of Oxford
Eric Westropp, Operations Director for the Middle East, Control Risks Group
Patrick Smith, Editor, Africa Confidential
Duncan Campbell, Freelance Journalist
Panel: A Global Presence; Chair: Harry Legge-Bourke, Olive Security
Jonathan Garratt, Chief Executive Officer, Erinys International
Bruce Braes, Strategic Security Solutions
David Hornus, Managing Director, Secopex
Dr John Mackinlay, War Studies Department, King's College London
Panel: PMCs at Work
Chair: David Rodin, Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, Oxford University
Andrew Bearpark, Senior Consultant, Olive Security & Former Director of Reconstruction and Infrastructure for the Coalition Provisional Authority, Baghdad
Christopher Beese, Chief Administrative Officer, ArmorGroup
Andrew Michels, Director of Peacekeeping Operations and Humanitarian Affairs, DynCorp International
Sarah Percy, King’s College London
Panel: Controlling the Sector:
Chair: Dr Philip Towle, Centre of International Studies,
Kaye Law, Director of Strategic Development, Security Industry Authority
Andrew Kain, Managing Director, AKE Ltd